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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27486058">Einheit</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Broken_Clover/pseuds/Broken_Clover'>Broken_Clover</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Guilty Gear</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Based on a Fan Theory, Blood and Injury, Dark, Gen, Surreal</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-20 22:40:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,116</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27486058</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Broken_Clover/pseuds/Broken_Clover</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Every universe has a Raven. If one is not born, then it is made.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Einheit</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is sort of inspired by/adapted from a way-old fan theory that Axl and Raven are the same person, due to a janky translation. I thought it'd be neat to take that concept and put a little spin on it. </p><p>Big thanks to Ant for helping me with the title!</p><p>This...ended up getting a lot longer than originally expected.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Something was horribly, horribly wrong. Maybe it was just the concussion fucking with his head, but Axl knew that something, whatever it was, was horribly, horribly wrong.</p><p>He wasn’t sure how to put a positive spin on the current situation, something that was a rarity for him. The last thing he could remember was the familiar bluish glow that signaled another one of his timeslips, replacing the verdant Illyrian field with murky darkness for a split-second, before he smashed into something hard and blacked out. There wasn’t much light for him to wake up to, only a dull luminescence that was just enough to make out the outlines of the rocky ground and boulders and outcroppings of stalagmites. The glow almost seemed to shift from second to second, but he couldn’t tell if it was because he’d hit his head too hard or that it actually was shifting.</p><p>That probably meant water or something, right? Water was good. And maybe if he was lucky, there would be a river to follow that would lead him back out towards wherever the entrance was.</p><p>A smile crossed his face as he awkwardly shambled to his feet. He immediately slumped over the nearest rock, feeling a wave of dizziness hit him. Shit, how hard had he crashed? He’d taken a few head injuries in his lifetime, and the hard throbs currently pulsing across his skull were definitely on the shittier end. Just his luck, he’d actually managed to hurt himself when he was in the middle of nowhere, with nobody nearby to help.</p><p>No, no, there was no need to be such a downer. For all he knew, the cave’s entrance was right around the corner. Admitting defeat so quickly would be like quitting from the get-go, and Axl Low was not a quitter.</p><p>As soon as the dizziness started to fade, he stood back up. There appeared to be some kind of path ambling off into the distance, and it seemed to be where that odd light was coming from. As good a direction as any to take. Better than trying to make a path on all the craggy rocks.</p><p>He typed in Sol’s number on his magic-com. Maybe he could come help? Gruff as he was, Sol was willing to lend a hand if he sounded desperate enough. </p><p>The communicator buzzed pathetically as he tried to summon it. No signal underground. Of course.</p><p>Rocks went flat under his feet, thankfully evening out from jagged points into some kind of path. Ok, that was good. Yeah. If he could make a list of the good things happening, it would be easier to not get worked up. He just needed to keep himself positive.</p><p>1. Nice flat path to walk on<br/>
2. He was pretty sure he’d just eaten, so he’d be fine for a while in terms of food<br/>
3. Uh…<br/>
4. Hmm…<br/>
5. Well, maybe he was close to the entrance?</p><p>“Guh…” That wasn’t nearly as helpful as he would have hoped. He ran a hand through his dirty hair and tried to keep his thoughts together. Freaking out wasn’t gonna accomplish anything, and he couldn’t even guarantee that it would make him feel better. It would just waste time and energy that he could put into trying to find a way out.</p><p>With the snap of his fingers, he formed a lighter-sized flame. It wasn’t an incredibly useful thing, but it was better than stumbling around blind. He wasn’t sure if there was something he could accidentally set on fire, and he didn’t want to waste all his energy on making a bigger light when he didn’t have anything on hand to replenish it, so it was tiny flame or get lost in the dark. </p><p>It wasn’t really a choice.</p><p>The path wiggled and weaved towards nowhere in particular. The firelight was just enough to offer a look at the ground a few feet away, but anything else was just an incomprehensible smear. Still, it was better than nothing. He could only imagine how many dings and bruises he’d get from stumbling around in the dark. He had to remind himself that bruises were better than being dead. </p><p>If it weren’t for the pain, he’d be half convinced it was some freaky ass dream. He really would have liked to wake up by that point.</p><p>In his distraction, a jut of stone tripped him underfoot. He slammed into the hard ground with a pained wheeze, wrapping an arm around his ribs as the light snuffed itself out. Fuck, did he break something? He couldn’t have broken something, could he?</p><p>Getting back up was painful, but he knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere lying on the floor. His hand came back dry and bloodless, but there was still a jagged pain in his chest, and he had no idea how to tell if it was a bruise or a break. Deep breathing hurt, so he tried to manage a shallower one, without much success.</p><p>“Dammit, mate…” He grumbled to himself, attempting a few pitiful sparks of fire with his free hand. “keep it together. You’re gonna be fine. It’s gonna be-”</p><p>His ears perked up as the little light caught again. Had he heard an echo? With an awkward stride, trying not to jostle his ribs, he followed the path a little further down, only for the stone ceiling overhead to suddenly sweep open into a massive open cave. The apex of it seemed to be the source of the strange light, but it didn’t look like holes to the surface. It didn’t look like much of anything, really. Just some vague glowing…<i>things,</i> only barely brighter than his own light.</p><p>When he squinted, he noticed that part of the space seemed to slope upward, in varying steepness. That had to be good, right? It had to put him closer to the surface. But Axl found himself looking at his lit hand, realizing he didn’t have enough of them for all the things he needed to do.</p><p>“...Fuck it, here goes nothing.”</p><p>He had to stop after the first bit of slope, from how the stretch made his sore ribs protest and only grew more aggravated when the effort made his breathing heavier. It didn’t help that it took more effort to find footholds in the first place with only the overhead light giving him any idea where things were. All the while, his mind unhelpfully conjured up images of steep drops that he must have somehow missed, and one slip of the foot or break in the stone would send him tumbling dozens if not hundreds of meters down into a subterranean lake of mutant man-eating fish monsters, or onto a pile of bone-breaking, spine-snapping rubble somewhere dark and empty where nobody but the cave insects would be able to hear him shouting for help-</p><p>Axl shook his head, trying to banish the ideas from his head. “Jeez, where the bloody hell did <i>that</i> come from?”</p><p>He rolled over onto a flat plateau of stone, breathing heavily and gently resting a hand on his chest. Okay, just had to keep his head on straight. He could walk, and he could climb. He’s been able to get past everything he’d come across so far, no need to psyche himself out when there was no need.</p><p>After a bit of time catching his breath, Axl got back to his feet and started on the slope again. The next one was surprisingly mild, aside from a few rocky spots. He had to use a hand to navigate every so often, but it was vastly preferable to rock climbing.</p><p>‘See?’ he told himself, somewhere between smugness and reassurance. ‘Just gotta stay positive!’</p><p>And it seemed his luck was only continuing. The lack of light made it difficult to discern what was ahead of him, but he could definitely make out another passageway up ahead of him. When he peered at it, he could almost make out a distant glow inside. That had to be a good sign, didn’t it? It at least seemed like as good a place as any to start.</p><p>Of course, he bumped into the side of it in the process, but Axl tried not to let that dissuade him. </p><p>The new path was surprisingly smooth compared to the last one. There were no rocks and stalagmites to stumble over or stub his toes on. What an odd source of relief. Hey, he was going to take whatever he could, considering the circumstances. He was an optimist, after all.</p><p>So he followed that glow. Followed it until it began growing bigger, and bigger, and bigger. Thankfully, it was only a short walk further until it dumped him into a different cavern, smaller, but much more clearly well-lit. </p><p>Yet that light only brought him more confusion. Axl had to pause and look over his shoulder at the rocky path just to be sure he was still in the same place. He seemed to have stumbled into a bizarrely quaint little library, done up with full bookshelves and a table. How the hell had all that stuff gotten down there? It was somehow immaculate and dustless, even when he wiped a hand across the table it came away clean. How was that even possible?</p><p>After a moment, Axl realized none of that mattered. Because if someone brought all this stuff down and maintained it, that meant there was someone who could help him.</p><p>“HEY!” He shouted. “Anyone here?! Hello?!”</p><p>Even if he was horribly confused, he tried to feel hopeful. The man walked between a surprising number of shelves, holding his breath every time he turned, in the hopes a person would be there.</p><p>Something moved in the corner of his eye. “Hey, wait!”</p><p>Even when he shouted, he couldn’t get their attention. At his best limp-run, Axl could manage to catch the tips of a pair of shoes rounding the next corner for him to chase after yet again. Did they think this was funny?? Could they really not hear the racket he was making? Wouldn’t it be just his luck the first person he finds happens to be deaf...</p><p>One path dumped him out into another kitschy little foyer. To his amazement (and relief) he didn’t have to contend with more running away. Instead, he spotted a figure sitting at the table. He could make out long, slender legs, short dark hair, and a familiar pair of big, beautiful...eyes.</p><p>“Hey! What are you doing here?”</p><p>I-no turned towards his voice. “Oh.” Her tone seemed completely unsurprised. Axl would have questioned it more if he wasn’t preoccupied with why either of them were here in the first place. “You’re early.”</p><p>“Well, I-” Any attempts at a quip faltered. “Wait, ‘early?’ Early for what?”</p><p>She didn’t reply. He watched her approach, reaching out to brush the side of his face almost tenderly.</p><p>“Uh, ehehe…” An uncomfortable smile split his face. “This is nice ‘n all, but can you please tell me what’s going on? Never took you for the joking sort- not this kind of joke, anyway. What’s with the library? Didn’t really seem your speed. Secret porn stash?”</p><p>“Hmm.” Another noncommittal gesture. Before he could say anything else, her hand slid down and managed to find the sore spot on his ribs and <i>pushed</i>, making any words come out as an incoherent bark of pain.</p><p>“Fuckin’ hell, what was that for?!” He snapped between ragged breaths.</p><p>“Structural damage.” She finally said, though her tone made it feel more like she was talking to herself than him. “Fixable. Nowhere near the worst we’ve seen. Otherwise still in mint condition.”</p><p>Was she...talking about him? It sounded more like she was describing a collector’s toy, or a fancy old plate. What the hell was going on with her?</p><p>“Seriously, is this a joke? Ha ha, I’m laughing now, so can you just drop it already?”</p><p>“Just a little bit longer, Raven, be patient.”</p><p>Axl blinked. “...Huh?” He lifted a hand. “Wait, Raven’s here, too? Is That Man? Ohhh, I get it, this is another freaky errand you needed me to do-”</p><p>“You’re awfully chatty.” I-no said, though she wasn’t looking at him anymore. “How unusual. Most of them aren’t like that.”</p><p>“Well, I’m-” Wait, what did she say? “Most of them?” He scowled. “Knock it off, already! I don’t have time for this! Where the bloody fuck are we, and where’s Raven?!”</p><p>“I’m right here, of course.” She replied.</p><p>“...rrright. Still not giving up on the weird jokes. Okay then, it’s been fun and all, but if you’re not gonna help, then I’m-”</p><p>As soon as he tried to turn, an arm lashed out to grab him by the wrist. Axl stumbled on his heels as she just-as-quickly began pulling him backwards, making it impossible to get his balance and properly resist.</p><p>“What the fuck is this?!” He shouted. “Lemme go!”</p><p>“We should be getting to work, if you’re early that just means I can start now instead of wasting time.”</p><p>“Work?! What are you talking about? Stop fucking with me!”</p><p>She turned back to him as he was dragged along. There was a dangerous glint to her eye, that for reasons he couldn’t understand, turned his blood to ice.</p><p>“I assure you, Raven, I take this incredibly seriously.”</p><p>“B-but...I’m not…” He faltered uncomfortably. “Can- can you just tell me what’s going on here?! The damn cave, the library, you- n- none of this is making any sense!”</p><p>“I’d rather not waste time with idle chit-chat.” Beyond the foyer, the library was melting into a menagerie of sterile grays and whites. The empty hallway didn’t offer much explanation as to what it was for or where it would take him, but Axl already didn’t like it.</p><p>“Well <i>I</i> would!” He shouted back, attempting to halt her gait again. “And if you’re not gonna explain shit, then I’m getting out of here and finding my own escape route!”</p><p>“I’m afraid you can’t leave. There’s work to be done.”</p><p>“Lay off with your cryptic bullshit, alright? I’m not getting into this.” He growled, ripping his arm free. “You’ve got all your teleportation magic, so poof me out of here already, alright? I wanna get out of this damn cave!”</p><p>“You’re resistant. I don’t like that.” Her neutral expression hardened. “You need to behave.”</p><p>“I’m not a bloody child! Don’t talk to me like that! If you’re not gonna help, then I’m leaving.”</p><p>For a moment, he actually managed to shock her. “Raven, you can’t- !”</p><p>It hurt to sprint, but he wanted to get away from whatever crazy bullshit this was as fast as he could manage. I-no’s boots started clunking after him as expected, but he managed to get enough of a lead that by the time she had made her way back to the library, he had ducked into the maze of bookshelves to hide himself.</p><p>“This is just a waste of time.” She called, sounding more bored than anything else. “Can you please just save us both the trouble?”</p><p>He almost would have laughed, if his ribs still didn’t hurt. Axl kept one hand wrapped around himself as he slowly crept between shelves, attempting to keep his breathing as quiet as possible so he couldn’t be heard. I-no seemed to have gotten a similar idea. Her footsteps had gone near-silent, though he if streamlined his ears, he could still make them out every so often.</p><p>It would have been safer to listen to her movements, only making a meticulous exit attempt when he was absolutely confident it would be safe to move. Yet he was never as patient as he wanted to be. And, of course, he barely knew the layout of the place, so who really knew where the exit was? Well, certainly not him.</p><p>“Come ouuuuut~”</p><p>Well, whatever she had in mind, he sure as fuck wasn’t staying around to find out. Damn it, what would he even do if she <i>did</i> catch him? He was starting to get worn down from all the hiking, running, and climbing, his ribs were fucked, and he didn’t even have a weapon to-</p><p>With his free hands, Axl reached into his pocket and wrapped it around something sturdy. He still had his kusarigama? That was some dumb fuckin’ luck, but he wasn’t going to complain. At least it meant he had something sharp if he needed to use it.</p><p>Maybe that was back luck, or maybe the idea of a safety measure made him less cautious, because as soon as he rounded the next corner, Axl found himself face-to-face with a manic grin.</p><p>“Oh. There you are~” He reeeeally wasn’t liking that tone. </p><p>As fast as his reflexes would allow, he jumped back and pulled a sickle out of his pocket. “D- Don’t try anything.”</p><p>“Hmm. Sounding more worn-down.” Her voice had gone back to that weird detachedness that made him feel like a trinket being appraised. “Enough of the fooling around. Can we please just get on with this?”</p><p>“Whatever bullshit you’re dragging me into, I don’t want any part of it!”Axl shouted back, wheezing on the last syllable and clamping a hand on tight to the sore spot. </p><p>For a moment, I-no’s expression almost betrayed a hint of sympathy. “It will be easier for all of us. Will you please just give up whatever half-baked intention you have?”</p><p>He took a few more slow steps back. “Fuck. Off.”</p><p>“...Alright.” She sighed, slinging the guitar off her back. “I really hate to have to use this.”</p><p>He managed to duck under a shockwave, but I-no was just as quick to dodge a sickle as he threw it. Recognizing he was at a disadvantage from the get-go, he opted to use her moment of defense to try and run. He found himself being dumped back by a table. Was it the one near the entrance, or the one where he had found I-no? He couldn’t keep track, and even if he could, he only had a half-second before the edge of a shockwave clipped his back and sent him topping into it to smash his face on the surface.</p><p>“Shit- !” now his face hurt almost as much as his ribs, and all he could smell was blood. Nonetheless, he heard another guitar strum, and he was flung over the table entirely to land in a miserable pile a meter away. There was no point in trying to hide how much anything hurt anymore, except for the fact that screaming made his ribs burn.</p><p>Screaming didn’t matter much, as it was immediately drowned by the sound of the table being smashed in half by I-no’s guitar. She approached him again with languid steps, all-too-aware of the number she’d done to him.</p><p>“Are you done fooling around now?” She asked, head cocked just to the side. </p><p>Axl spotted her guitar, dangled by her side in a lazy grip.</p><p>“Alright, it’s about time we got to wo- what are you doing?”</p><p>With her guard down, I-no wasn’t prepared when a chain wrapped around her guitar and ripped it right from her grip.  Axl mustered up as much energy as he possibly could to swing the chain around, bringing it in one clean circle in the blink of an eye to smash into the other side of her head.</p><p>The ensuing crunch echoed in the enclosed space, and I-no was sent flying into the nearest bookcase, which made an even louder crash as it groaned and collapsed.</p><p>“Fuck-”  The man hissed, struggling to catch his breath and process everything all at once. “What the <i>fuck.</i>”</p><p>He tried not to stare at the mess he’d made. The time he wasted trying to discern skull shards from smashed guitar could have been used trying to leave. Clinging onto half of the table, Axl managed to painfully drag himself back onto his feet. In the process, he spotted the edge of a tunnel half-hidden by a shelf. Was that the way he’d come in? No, that one was completely dark, he had come into the library from a dark cave, and this one was lit. It had to be a different one. Certainly <i>one</i> of these goddamn paths had to lead out, right?</p><p>Leaving was even more troublesome than coming in had been. At least it was a smooth path. But Axl was beyond feeling thankful. Any part of him that wasn’t injured was exhausted, and if he wasn’t in such a weird situation, he would have just taken a nap right on the floor. He just tried to urge himself forward with every painful, limping step. It was a straight path, at least that meant he had to be going somewhere else? At least he could hope.</p><p>He had to do a double-take when he thought he saw something further down the tunnel. Had he just imagined it? Was it a bat? Stalagmite? Even when he tilted his head, he couldn’t make it out clearly. Without meaning to, Axl found himself limping a little faster.</p><p>Wait. Did he recognize this path? It felt familiar, but it couldn’t have been. The only one he’d gone through had been dark! There wasn’t any way this could be the same one. He tried forcing himself to remember every possible detail. The divots in the ground, the rock walls he’s run his hands across. It really did seem familiar, and even the way the tunnel’s ceiling was opening up felt familiar, but how was it possible that it could be-</p><p>The painfully familiar cave was now bright as day, with no light source in sight. It was hard to care about candles or lamps, though, considering that the place was miraculously no longer empty.</p><p>The cavern before him was like a hall of mirrors, but so, so much worse. Mirrors of the same face echoed across the impossible crags and peaks that splintered across the open pit, with some hovering on tesseracts and Penrose triangles. Most were the same gaunt, pale face, grinning wildly. As his eyes tore from figure to figure, he swore he could catch a few deviations- a few more of I-no, some he didn’t recognize, even a few that he could swear were Sol- but no matter where he looked, there was an undeniable sameness to all of it. What the fuck was happening?!</p><p>It was chaos enough for Axl.</p><p>But then they <i>laughed.</i></p><p>It sounded like a crowd screaming in pain. A few shrill giggles ebbed and peaked among the echoing noises. Hundreds of incoherent voices multiplied tenfold along the craggy rocks, clamoring at a volume that Axl swore was going to make his eardrums shatter.</p><p>He ran. It was all he could think to do. There was only one exit, a taunting smear of black against the bright lights and colors. The adrenaline made his hurt ribs a distant memory, and any fears of falling were gone as he sprint-skidded down the slopes, somehow managing not to trip and smash his face.</p><p>Behind him, the other figures continued to laugh madly. From their high perch, one fell, hitting the ground with an awful crunch. Others followed suit, plummeting from the crags and spires without a care in the world. He had to dodge as a few fell too close to him, splattering blood.</p><p>Maybe there was a path he’d missed. Maybe the cave had another way out. It didn’t matter. He just had to be as far away from these people as possible.</p><p>The sound of skittering started in his wake. Something was scraping against the stone, something wet and...gooey?</p><p>Risking a glance backwards, all he could see was vast swathes of red and white. It wasn’t something, and it wasn’t some<i>one</i>. It was <i>every single one of them</i>, bodies broken and splintered and ruined but still dragging themselves after him in a frenzied horde.</p><p>He screamed.</p><p>He stumbled.</p><p>And that was enough for them to catch up. The innumerable hands were relentless, grabbing onto every inch of his skin that they could and yanking him back. At some point, they tore through his clothing, leaving nothing in between an array of jagged and needle-sharp iron-grips and his body, setting a blaze of pain across almost every surface as they forcefully tugged his hair and sank claws into human skin.</p><p>Hand-shaped shadows covered his field of vision, wrenching his body towards the hard ground. The feeling of something suffocating him took away all the sensation in the world, devouring sights and sounds and replacing them with hollow darkness.</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>++++++</p>
</div>Something in his thoughts clicked. Or maybe it was just the light.<p>Light, light...christ, why was it burning his eyes so much? Axl moved the rub the sting out of them, only to discover that, even though he’d just woken up, he still felt exhausted and sluggish. Anything he had been thinking of doing felt vastly less preferable than staying where he was, comfortably relaxed on a cool metal surface.</p><p>His eyes suddenly snapped open, adrenaline flooding his system. Bright lights were there to burn his eyes further, sending him uselessly scrabbling on the smooth, flat floor he’d found himself on. He didn’t know what it was, but it couldn’t be anything good.</p><p>The only thing that managed to stop his panicking was a wall in front of his that he plowed right into, not hard enough to do any serious damage but still enough to leave a nasty sting.</p><p>“Sonuva…” He mumbled, tasting blood but not feeling it run from his mouth. Well, at least he had that going for him.</p><p>He blinked and rubbed at his eyes, trying to get the vague starbursts of color to become something comprehensible. He couldn’t make out any wall in front of him, or around him, for that matter, so what had he managed to whack himself against?</p><p>Still shaking off the lingering fuzziness, Axl tentatively raised a hand ahead of him, trying to feel for something solid. It definitely hit something, but what it was exactly still eluded him. He gave it a few taps, then turned his hand around to rap his knuckles on it. Something smudged off of his hand and onto the invisible surface, something red…</p><p>Axl jerked back again, startled until he realized that he still had his skin, and the blood that had smeared off was just from a scrape on the back of his hand. Having something to dirty it made him realize that it was simply glass, though that still left him confused. It was too big to be a normal window, and he had to turn to find the end of it, and even then, it wasn’t much of an end. The glass continued on, in a different direction.</p><p>It appeared to be some giant version of a fish-tank, rectangular with high glass walls that would tower over him even if he were standing. The farthest wall from him, solid black, appeared only different in color. No door on any of the walls, or a clear indication of how he’d wound up inside it in the first place.</p><p>“Jesus, what the hell is going on now?”</p><p>His clothing was badly torn but still functional. One arm hung limply by his side, appearing unharmed but bursting into a blaze of pain as soon as he tried to move or twist it. He would have been more worried about the fact that he had no idea where or when he’d gotten that injury if he wasn’t too busy clinging to his arm and hissing curses under his breath.</p><p>Something else hissed, but not from inside the glass.</p><p>“Good to see you awake.”</p><p>He sent the best venomous glare he could through the glass, as I-no sauntered in with her usual devil-may-care demeanor. It used to be charming, but now it just pissed him off even more.</p><p>“What the fuck do you want?!” He snapped, sounding much more confident than he felt.</p><p>She opted to ignore him, walking over to some sort of console to begin tapping away at it.</p><p>“Don’t give me the fuckin’ silent treatment! What the hell is going on?!”</p><p>“Patience, Raven.”</p><p>“Augh, <i>again</i> with this shit? D’ya not know how to answer a damn ques-”</p><p>Any more of his irritated grumbling was interrupted. As I-no typed away at whatever the hell that thing was, long cables began snaking down from the ceiling. Initially, he regarded them as just a confusing nuisance, but as soon as they seemed to zero in on him and approach, he could feel himself begin to panic.</p><p>“Oh, no. <i>Hell</i> no. I’m not letting any of that shit get anywhere near me- !”</p><p>“Relaaaaax~”</p><p>Normally, Axl was pretty sure he would have been able to outmaneuver the dumb things and slice them into a million pieces. But his sickles were who-knew-where, he was pretty sure he had a broken arm, and he was too exhausted to manage summoning a flame. The best he could do was wince and hope it would be over quick.</p><p>He was taken by surprise when nothing attempted to strangle, stab, or maim him. While they apparently moved independently, each one merely ran a flat tip across different parts of him, silent aside from an occasional hum or beep.</p><p>
  <i>”What the fuck…?”</i>
</p><p>“So far, it looks like you’re still intact.” I-no seemed to find his squirming amusing enough that she abandoned the console to look at him from the other side of the glass. “Are you going to be this skittish the whole time?”</p><p>“Get stuffed.” He growled back. “And how are you still alive?! I busted your fuckin’ head open!”</p><p>“Oh yes, I heard all about that. Quite the excellent story.” She gave a little half-chuckle. “Such a mess to clean up. It sounds like you gave her some trouble.”</p><p>That caught him off-guard. “Wait, her? But I was talkin’ to you-”</p><p>“Another me, I can only presume. But I’ve only just met you now.”</p><p>Aaaaand he was lost again. He wasn’t the crazy one here, was he? Axl just tried to focus on being pissed off, that was easier. “Okay, whatever. Are you gonna fuckin’ <i>explain</i> anything, or are you just gonna watch these things feel me up?”</p><p>Her expression was unreadable. He tried to make a rude gesture, only to realize those cables had stuck onto him without him realizing. Trying not to panic, he tugged and yanked at one affixed to his leg, but all it did was hurt as it pulled his skin along.</p><p>I-no shook her head. “A bit sad. I wish you could understand how fortunate you are. How absolutely blessed you are to be here right now.”</p><p>“F-fuck off.” He snapped, not as threatening as he would have liked. “‘Blessed’ my ass. I’m gonna rip this shit out of me, then I’m gonna rip this whole fuckin’ cave apart.”</p><p>“I do hope you sit still. Don’t want you tearing anything important out.” There was the click of heels, a pause, and a sigh. “Very few humans are born with a purpose. They are merely made to wander aimlessly. You are of that rare exception. You have a reason to exist. You have a role in the universe.”</p><p>He was still utterly lost, and becoming more irritated by the second. “What the hell are you talking about?”</p><p>“Did you think there was only one Raven?”</p><p>“You keep fuckin’ saying that. I know <i>one</i> guy named Raven. I’ve seen a bloody fuckton of the damn birds. What does any of that have to do with anything?!”</p><p>A tinge of annoyance mixed into her tone. "I’m not talking about something as simple as birds. I’m talking about <i>Ravens,</i> the immortal watchers of the world. <i>Every</i> world.”</p><p>“What…?”</p><p>There’s a Raven for every universe, and a universe for every Raven. Perfectly designed. Finding a proper working base can be a bit difficult, which is why we have to scrape through all our available options.”</p><p>Axl snorted. “So, cave, then? Hell of a ‘base.’”</p><p>“That’s not…” She sighed impatiently, going back to the console. “Nevermind. Explaining by example has an 83.48028819% majority success rate, anyway. Not sure why I even bothered.”</p><p>“Hey-” he tried to shout after her. “HEY! What the fuck are you doing?!”</p><p>She ignored him again. “Data almost completed, just a few more parameters to measure.”</p><p>Okay, okay, he had to reel it in. As good as it felt, screaming and threatening hadn’t gotten him far. There had to be some other approach.</p><p>He swallowed dry. “I-no-”</p><p>“Raven.” She corrected him. “Formally Raven-002087, but that’s a tad pedantic.”</p><p>“Fine. Fine, okay, Raven-” Axl tried again. “I dunno what the hell you think I can do to help, but I swear I can’t. I’m- I’m totally useless. I’m sure whatever you’re doing is- is <i>super</i> important, Ravens and whatever, but I’m not Raven! I mean, look at me! All this stuff looks super high-tech, and I’m a total moron! Didn’t learn how to tie my shoes until I was ten!” He chuckled uncomfortably. “Really! Totally useless.”</p><p>As he tried to think of more to say, something moved in the corner of his vision. A dark shadow swept out from further into the cave. Axl was about to panic again, only to realize that he recognized the sallow face that appeared from the darkness.</p><p>“Raven!”</p><p>Both I-no and the black-cloaked man turned to him. “Hmm?”</p><p>Axl kept his focus firmly on the latter, feeling relieved tears begin to well up. “Oh thank <i>god</i> you’re here, this bird’s been going on about absolute nonsense and stuck me in a bloody fishtank! I mean, do you <i>see</i> this shit? I figured it was some freaky-ass roleplay thing, I’m not really into it but I can’t knock anyone else’s tastes- a-anyway, I am just <i>so</i> glad you’re here, I was wondering where you or that other hooded bloke were, d’ya see the sort of shit she gets up to when you don’t keep an eye on her?? But really, I’m just glad you ended up finding your way in here, mate, you’re a sight for sore eyes!”</p><p>He waited for Raven to respond. Nothing came at first. And when it did come, he turned to I-no to speak to her instead.</p><p>“Volatile response?”</p><p>“‘fraid so. Explanations haven’t gotten me anywhere, but the data’s all collected, I’m going to just head right into processing.”</p><p>“Understood. If you think it’s best.”</p><p>Axl tried not to dive headfirst into hysterics, though the laugh that escaped his throat was definitely more deranged than normal. “R-Raven, that’s a real bad joke, mate…”</p><p>The man gave him the sort of look that one gave a three-legged puppy with mange. “I believe you have me confused for a different Raven. I am Raven-001893. Nonetheless, I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other, once this is all dealt with.”</p><p>He left as quickly as he entered, leaving Axl to watch his departure in disbelief. This- this all had to be a dream, right? All this shit about universes and Ravens. Sure, he was a time traveller, but this was just complete nonsense. It had to be nonsense. </p><p>“001893 always takes an interest in this. Even if you can’t see him, I’m sure he’s still watching us from somewhere.” The woman had an almost fond look on her face. “Ah. And to answer your question. Yes, I know.”</p><p>The cables finally released with a quiet hiss, slithering back up into the ceiling. Axl rubbed a pink spot left behind on his arm, eyeing her uneasily.</p><p>“You know what?”</p><p>“Yes, I know you’re useless.” She said. “For now. But don’t worry. We’ll fix that.”</p><p>He definitely didn’t like the sound of that. His voice shifted pitch. “‘Fix?’”</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>The console went dark with a little mechanical whir. A chair was dragged over, allowing her to sit across from him and watch the fishtank with eerie glee. Without realizing, Axl withered under her gaze, clutching his busted arm protectively.</p><p>“You’re not a Raven.” Every syllable was enunciated sharply. “Not. Yet.”</p><p>The glass prison wasn’t massive, but he still felt uncomfortable enough to shamble to his feet and back away slowly. She didn’t stop him, only watched.</p><p>“We’ve streamlined the system quite well. The first few times were...messy.”</p><p>Something behind him beeped.</p><p>Reluctantly, he turned to look over his shoulder. From the far wall, an array of metal blades popped out and began whirring. Axl was confused on the point of them, but he realized in panic moments later that they were inching towards him.</p><p>“A-Are you fucking <i>insane!?</i>” He shouted, retreating back towards the room’s front. “That thing is going to kill me!”</p><p>“Of course it will.” She nodded, nonchalant. “Several times. It’s all part of the routine. Ironically, the best way to make an immortal, is to kill it over and over again. So we’d best get started.”</p><p>
  <i>“WHAT?!”</i>
</p><p>“What you think is possible is <i>very</i> limited, compared to what we are actually capable of. What you may consider ‘laws’ of reality are often mere suggestions to us. They’re malleable.”</p><p>The blades continued their slow movement, making the space grow smaller and smaller with every second.</p><p>“So it will kill you.” She said, eerily calm. “Over. And over. And over. Until you finally build up a tolerance for it.”</p><p>There was nowhere else for him to go. The walls were sleek and smooth, impossible to get any grip on to climb even if he wasn’t currently dealing with an injured limb. But the adrenaline and panic signals were still working in overdrive trying to find a way. He didn’t want to accept that something like this could even be real. How could he just die like this?? Axl pressed against the glass, as far as he could go, raking at it with his good arm as the woman on the other side merely watched.</p><p>He felt them sink into his back. Then he felt them moving deeper, deeper, unrelentingly deeper. Mechanically slow but unyielding. The first sank into the space above his tailbone, but it didn’t take long for the agony to all blend together into an incomprehensible mass of firing nerves. His legs wouldn’t support him anymore. The clean glass was stained with red and pink. His limbs were coming apart in fabric-covered chunks. Everything tasted like iron and acid. It was impossible to tell where his outsides ended and his insides began. How had his arm gotten all the way over there? If he still had all the parts to scream, it was impossible to make out over the mechanical whirring.</p><p>Oh god, oh god oh god why was everything going dark?!</p><p>The noise suddenly went quiet. Axl became acutely aware of his own ragged breathing- that somehow made everything hurt more, and the shallowness told him they had ripped through at least one lung- and the sound of his own lagging, failing heartbeat as it pounded in his ears.</p><p>Every inch of him burned in agony, but he realized that it had started to fuzz over as his vision did. He tried to panic, tried to summon adrenaline from wherever he could, but the well had long gone dry, and all he could do was lie there and feel his mangled body turn itself off.</p><p>Blurry as he was, he could still make out the figure on the other side. She slipped out of her chair and knelt by the glass. Despite what had just taken place right in front of her, the woman still looked impossibly pleased with herself.</p><p>“An excellent trial run. Well done. Consider that your orientation. Oh, and don’t worry about the shut-down, you’ll be back working order in no time.”</p><p>The last thing he could make out was the twinkle of her grin as she spoke.</p><p>“And then the <i>real</i> work begins.”</p>
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  <p>++++++</p>
</div>The quiet cave echoed gently with the sound of a pencil scratching against paper. A few final notes were jotted in the margins, before it was placed back down.<p>“A smooth projection. Good to see the rough starter evened out.”</p><p>He stood to cross the empty space, bootsteps clicking against the high walls. If he strained his ears, he could make out the conversations of others far off, bouncing off the innumerable tunnels. Though what would be the point in doing that? He could join them later. It wasn’t as though they were ever in much of a rush.</p><p>The glass had been cleaned again, once more see-through and clear of most viscera. Certainly not his own work. Cleaning it was ultimately a fruitless endeavor, but some of the others remained insistent. At least it offered him a view.</p><p>“Look at you.” He said with a smile. “You’re perfect.”</p><p>“I c-can’t-”</p><p>“Hmm?”</p><p>“I can’t...feel...anything…”</p><p>“That’s normal. You’re just not used to it yet. Your nerves are used to so much pain, that regular sensations feel like nothing.”</p><p>“C-ch-change me...back…”</p><p>He shrugged. “I can’t do that.”</p><p>“Please...let me go…”</p><p>“There’s a universe that needs a Watcher. You have a duty to fulfill.”</p><p>“Let...me...die....”</p><p>He tutted softly, shaking his head. “You don’t understand. That’s not on the table anymore. You can’t.”</p><p>“Let me die...let me die...let me die…”</p><p>Familiar footsteps approached from behind. “How’s he doing?”</p><p>“Damaged, but stable. He’s still having trouble processing it all. Gone a bit insane.”</p><p>A sigh. “Not again. Oh well, I guess we’ll have to keep him here for a bit until it finally settles in.”</p><p>“Let me die...let me die…”</p><p>“...You sure he’s stable?”</p><p>“Yes, I’m sure. Every result was routine. Some of them just don’t handle it very well at first. Give it a few years, and I’m sure his mind will heal itself. Can’t have a universe without a Watcher, right?”</p><p>“True enough.” She said. “I can handle a few more shifts, you go back to your home dimension, 001893.”</p><p>“Are you sure?”</p><p>“Of course. There is a reason there are so many of us.”</p><p>“Ahh...thank you, 002087. I have a tendency to lose track of time when it comes to these…”</p><p>“Think nothing of it. I can at least appreciate your commitment to the works-in-progress.”</p><p>“Little birds merely need time to grow their feathers.” He nodded fondly. “Farewell, 002087. 005470.”</p><p>She watched him vanish into the tunnels. Though his figure quickly disappeared from view, she lingered several moments longer before turning away.</p><p>A hand reached out to tenderly stroke the cool glass. “It’ll take a bit of learning...but I think you’re going to make a wonderful Raven.”</p>
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